Yingluck charged with neglect of duty : NACC

The Nation February 18, 2014 3:51 pm

The National Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday found grounds to press charges and initiate impeachment proceedings against caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty in the controversial rice-pledging scheme, which has cost the country dearly.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday found grounds to press charges and initiate impeachment proceedings against caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty in the controversial rice-pledging scheme, which has cost the country dearly, NACC spokesman Wicha Mahakhun said.

The agency summoned Yingluck to acknowledge the charges on February 27.

The decision was made after the agency's investigation found evidence; both through witnesses and documents, that she had been warned by many organisations of possible massive damage and corruption in the scheme.

Even the NACC warned in a written document that the scheme could cause massive corruption in every stage of the process.

Moreover Yingluck was informed of the corruption that was occurring in the project during debates in the Parliament. The chairman of subcommittee on rice pledging audit said the scheme had caused losses of about Bt200 billion.

The Auditor General Office also issued a warning, asking her to review and halt the programme, which it said, had many irregularities and corruption.

A large number of rice farmers who entered the programme have not yet received payment and are now in serious financial difficulty.

Despite these factors, Yingluck insisted on continuing with the programme and this, Wicha said, clearly demonstrated her negligence to duty resulting in severe damage to the country.